


we keep living anyway

by bistiles (alis)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (just mentioned) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Office, Falling In Love, Financial Issues, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, Gift Work, Kid Fic, M/M, Past Heather/Stiles Stilinski, Single Parent Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 15:24:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5545082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alis/pseuds/bistiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Oh, damn, my manners. What an example I’m setting, am I right? I’m Stiles Stilinski, but call me Stiles, please,” Stilinski extended his hand for Derek to shake, and Derek took it, feeling the solid grip and the long fingers around his own hand. For some reason, he blushed on the spot.</p><p>“Derek. Derek Hale. Call me just Derek,” He answered, still holding Stiles’ hand in his.</p><p>By the look on Stiles’ face, he felt much the same as what Derek was feeling, whatever that unnamed reaction was.</p><p>“And this little barnacle attached to me,” Stiles continued, letting go of Derek and flushing pink, “is Leigh.”</p><p>--</p><p>Stiles is struggling to raise his only child all alone, while dealing with financial problems, a new job, and Adrian Harris, the worst boss in the world.</p><p>But then he meets Derek Hale, a dreamy co-workers, and what is a terrible situation becomes considerably less grim, when he has Derek by his side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	we keep living anyway

**Author's Note:**

> **_One million thanks to Ell, Alice, Jacqui, Jenny, Eva and Lonnie for the invaluable help and support. You guys are the best!_ **

“Leigh, I'm not going to ask you again! Go take your shower!” Stiles bellowed from the kitchen as he flipped pancakes.

Leigh made a groaning sound and Stiles had to admit that his dad was right: it was pretty much the same sound Stiles himself produced when sleepy and forced to move. It never ceased to amaze him how children were perceptive, even though Stiles and been a very perceptive child himself. He tamped down the small, ill-timed bubble of fatherly pride and screamed again.

"Leigh, I mean it! I can't be late for work and you can't be late for school!"

At that, Leigh appeared at the doorway to the living room, still wrapped on her blanket. She looked tiny under the soft, bright yellow folds, eyes hooded with sleep. Stiles knew she was tired; she had been much too nervous about school to settle at her appropriate bed time. Still, there was nothing Stiles could do for her.

"Daddy, can't I stay?" she asked with huge green eyes. The shape of her eyes was all Stiles's, but the color was all her mother's.

Stiles huffed, lowering the flames on the stove so he didn't burn the pancakes, and went to his kid. Leigh eyed him as he knelt down at her level, clutching the blanket tighter against her body. He was still bigger than her when kneeling; Leigh was small for her age, something that always caused Stiles some concern. Was it his fault? Was it bad parenting? Maybe he needed to make her diet richer in nutritional value?

Never mind that her pediatrician had said Leigh was fine.

“Baby, you know you can’t. It’s your first day at school; aren’t you excited?”

Leigh shook her head and scrunched her forehead, looking like she was about to put up a fight about school. Stiles rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling tired. He hadn’t slept all that much himself; with Leigh awake, he couldn’t rest and her nerves had rubbed off on him.

“I don’t wanna go,” she answered petulantly,

“You were excited about it not twenty-fours hours ago!” Stiles said, trying to remind his kid that she did like school. She always did.

“No,” she repeated, a stubborn tone settling on her voice.

Stiles looked at the clock. He still had to finish fixing breakfast, help Leigh dress, then finish dressing himself. The school bus would be around in about fifteen minutes. They didn't have time for a temper tantrum.

“Leigh, please.”

“No!”

She ran away, hiding in her bedroom, and Stiles stood up, going after her at a slower pace. If this dragged any longer he would be late for his first day at work, which would surely end badly. Stiles tried to keep himself in control as he pushed the door of Leigh’s room open – a feat that was slightly harder than usual when his daughter was trying to keep the door shut with her body.

“Fine! You don’t want to go? Then don't! I’ll leave you here, *alone*, all by yourself, all day long! And there’ll be no TV or toys, little lady, so you better have fun staring at the walls.”

Stiles didn’t even have anyone to sit her for the day. If he did, he could maybe let it go this once. As it was, he just stopped pushing the door and went back to the stove. He hoped that that tactic would work, and Leigh would come to her senses and get herself ready for school, otherwise Stiles wasn’t sure what he would do. He could always force Leigh to go, but the mere idea of that made his stomach churn. He hated this.

When had things become so difficult? Oh yes, he knew. When Heather walked away.

Stiles sighed, flipping the last pancake into the plate. As much as he denied it – sometimes to himself, often to the others – Heather's departure had been a huge hit on Stiles' and Leigh's lives, but it was Stiles who was struggling the most.

He was ready to despair when he heard the shower start running, and almost sagged in relief. It was most fortunate that he knew his child enough to successfully play her into doing what he needed.

Tiredly, Stiles sat down on the table, and began eating his breakfast, as he patiently waited for Leigh to shower and dress herself. He was already irremediably late for work, and the school bus had come and gone about five minutes prior. If he ran, he could take Leigh to the school, and he could maybe make it to work with some minimal lateness and maybe blame it on being lost in a new city.

He let his head fall on the table with a heavy thump. He hoped with every single cell on his body that he wouldn’t end his first day unemployed.

°°°

Derek had a good job.

It wasn’t the job he thought he would have when he was in high school. Back then, he imagined he would become a great lawyer, like his mother, or maybe a famous architect, as his father. He thought he would get a full scholarship to any college of his choosing, given his talent as a basketball player. But then he also thought he would have his parents for many years to come, and they died halfway through his junior year of high school.

Human Resources wasn’t that bad, actually. Derek liked sorting through candidates, dealing with the internal mechanisms of his company. It was a good, engaging job that left him busy, but not so busy to the point where he didn’t have a life. Not that Derek cared all that much about that last one.

He shuffled through the papers, checking his appointments for the day, when Adrian Harris, Head of the Customer Service Department, walked into his room unannounced and without even knocking.

Derek hated the guy.

“You said there would be someone to fill the open CS representative position today,” Harris said in lieu of a good morning. If it was within Derek’s power, he would fire the guy. As it was, he sadly still needed approval from his superiors for that. And God knew Harris was actually competent at his job.

“As I stated in my email to you, yes,” Derek said, raising an eyebrow to Harris and staring. It was delightful seeing Harris losing his cockiness, “I assume there was a problem.”

“Yes, your new employee hasn’t arrived yet.”

Derek checked the clock. He knew that the hours for that role started at 8am. It was 8:10am. Only Adrian Harris would bother Derek with a ten minute delay.

“Maybe something came up,” Derek said, unconcerned, while he pulled the new employee details on his laptop. Wawrzyniec Stilinski, it was. He had done an interview with Erica, and had a great resume, according to the notes. He scrolled for the contacts, and paused slightly at the personal information. Divorced, one child, age six. The photo attached to his file showed a young face, and indeed, Stilinski was only twenty-four. That meant that he had had a child when he was still in high school.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had probably happened.

Derek looked up at Harris, who was impatiently tapping his foot on the floor, looking offended by Derek’s lack of interest in his issue. Good.

“What can I help you with, Harris?” Derek asked, dulling his tone to irk Harris further. By the way he looked at Derek, it was working.

“I want you to find me another employee.”

“You want me to replace the replacement I found?” Derek asked, leaning back in his chair. Harris, the annoying jerk, just nodded, glaring at Derek from behind his stupid glasses.

God, Derek wanted to fire him so bad.

“Listen, Harris, here’s the thing. In the last four months I had to find about nine ‘replacements’ for your department. You fired six, the other three resigned. This is costing the company money, and it’s costing me time and resources.”

Harris sneered at Derek, trying to intimidate him. “It’s not my fault you’re doing a poor job finding me acceptable employees, Hale!”

Derek stood up from his desk, and Harris automatically stepped back, making Derek smirk in satisfaction. Harris was a coward, and Derek was well aware of how he looked. He was taller than Harris was, and much, much bulkier. They both knew Derek wasn’t about to use physical violence in his work place, but the reminder worked.

“Next time you imply my team isn’t doing its work, I’ll take it to the boss. Now, I am not finding you a replacement because of a ten-minute tardiness.”

“On his first day!”

“Yes, and if it happens again, you’ll bring it to me, and I’ll see what needs to be done. Is that all, or can I help you with anything else?”

Harris opened his mouth to reply, when Boyd knocked and entered the room without pause. Boyd paid little to no attention to Harris -- which only made the guy look incensed -- and talked straight to Derek.

“There’s apparently a new employee at the reception desk. He doesn’t have a badge and his name isn’t on the list. They want us to clear him in.”

Derek looked at Harris, letting his face show every bit of contempt he had for the man.

“Is his name Stilinski?”

Boyd nodded. Derek, still staring at Harris, smirked.

“So, it seems your late employee is being held at the reception desk because someone forgot to clear him in. And if I am not mistaken, wasn’t that your job?”

Harris was so red in the face that Derek was surprised he hadn’t burst an artery yet. Without another word, the man left the office, not quite slamming the door, but closing it harder than what could be considered polite.

“What a delightful way to start the day, huh, Derek?”

Derek sat back, rolling his eyes at Boyd. He looked at the young face of Stilinski. He wondered how long before Harris harassed him enough that he would either resign or make a mistake to justify being fired.

°°°

Stiles thought it had been a stroke of luck not being fired on his first day, despite being late. Apparently someone had forgotten to clear him at reception and his tardiness was being attributed to that instead of Stiles really, actually being late.

Sadly, his luck ran out almost immediately, considering that his new boss hated him.

Adrian Harris was the kind of man that Stiles had dealt with his entire life. Petty, borderline incompetent, in a position of power and abusing it left and right. The guy had absolutely no respect for anyone that was under him in the company, and it became apparent the first two hours of work on his first day. Stiles developed a burning hatred for the man on the spot.

Still, Stiles needed the job more than anything. So he held tight, kept his head down, and did his best. Not that someone like Harris was willing to recognize his efforts.

Stiles did what he could. He started waking Leigh earlier than usual, in case a tantrum was in store for that day, and many tantrums still happened. She hated the new school, hated the teachers, had no friends. Stiles didn’t know what to do about it. He knew he had to take a moment to go to her school and check if there was anything that could be done, but between his work hours and housework, he didn’t have the time.

And obviously that was because Harris was making him do overtime as often as he could, the asshole.

By the end of the first week, Stiles was both surprised he had managed this far, and exhausted to the point of tears. Still, he had bills to pay. Leigh needed clothes. He couldn’t just give up.

Stiles was sitting in his living room, tired enough he couldn’t move. Who would have thought that a job that required him to sit at a desk and talk on the phone all day would be more exhausting than any physical activity Stiles had ever done in his life? Leigh was watching something on his laptop that Stiles couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to. He was too tired for that.

He’s almost fallen asleep, when he feels little hands nudging him awake.

“Dad?” Leigh asked, and Stiles startled awake. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep; he had dinner to make.

“Sh-- Shucks. Hey, baby, what’s up?”

“I’m hungry,” Leigh whined, trying to climb on Stiles. She almost kneed him in the balls in the process, but he managed to pull her up to sit on his belly.

“Sorry, love. Dad is tired but,” he pulled her up and sat up, making her squeal in the process. He laughed and stood up, carrying her on his hip, “What do you think of pizza, hm?”

Leigh enthusiastically yelling “yes” was all the confirmation Stiles needed.

°°°

Derek sighed tiredly, as he waited in line to pay for his order. It had been a long week at work, with some difficult cuts to make, and employee hunting could be incredibly dull. Harris had fired yet another employee, which made it the tenth person to leave the job in a ridiculously short amount of time.

It felt like a bit of a reprieve that Stilinski wasn’t the employee to be fired.

It wasn’t that Derek cared about the man, exactly. But ever since the incident that first morning, Derek decided to check if the guy he had stood up for was worth the trouble or not. Stilinski, Derek found out, was a tall, lithe guy, with pale skin and dark circles under his eyes that seemed tattooed there. Derek hadn’t talked to the man himself; he only observed from afar, taking any excuse he had to lurk around Harris department and the communal break room. Granted, he hadn't set foot in the break room in _years_ , preferring to stay in his own office, but he had reason now.

Stilinski was… Well. He caught Derek’s attention, for some reason. Derek didn’t know how or why, but there was something in the way he would laugh with abandon, or his enthusiastic smile that drew Derek in, even if the guy did look perpetually tired.

There were some things that Derek had managed to catch about Stilinski: he did have a daughter, named Leigh, who was apparently the apple of his eye. He had recently moved from New York to Seattle and was still adapting. He seemed to have a chronic sleep problem, and Derek noticed he tended to avoid talking about himself as much as he could get away with, while still being weirdly sociable.

Not that Derek caught all that by _lurking_ in the corners and _eavesdropping_. No. It was just… Observation.

Even if both Erica and Boyd had dubbed what he was doing creepy.

Derek sighed, walking forward as the line moved. He was glad it was the weekend and that he would be able to rest for two days straight. He needed the sleep and he needed to do his laundry, badly. Derek wondered how Stilinski managed all that with a child. From what it looked like, there was no woman – or man – in the picture, and he was all alone. Or maybe there was someone and Derek had only missed it.

He reached the counter, ready to ask for the biggest pizza he could order – dieting and gym be damned – when he heard a familiar voice.

“Leigh, love, no. You have to wait your turn!”

Derek turned just in time to see a small girl bounding to his side, trying to hoist herself up on the much taller counter. Derek looked back at the shop’s entrance and none other than Stilinski himself was coming to fetch the child, picking her up in his arms.

“C’mon, not cool,” Stilinski said, as the child pouted, “You have to wait in line.”

“But I am hungry!” The kid complained loudly and Stilinski’s eyes darted around, looking apologetic and slightly embarrassed.

Derek didn’t know what possessed him, but before he could think about it he was touching the man’s arm, holding him before he turned and went back to the end of the line.

“Hey, you can have my spot,” Derek said, and Stilinski blinked at him, looking surprised.

“Uh, no, no, man it’s okay, thank you, but… Wait,” Stilinski looked and inclined his head to the side, looking suddenly puzzled, “Do I know you…? Have we met before?”

Derek blushed, despite his best efforts _not_ to. He thought that Stilinski hadn’t paid attention to him at work, but apparently he had. Sure, they had spoken to each other, mostly mumbled greetings out of politeness, but still.

“Yeah, I work at ComTwo. I’ve seen you around the cafeteria….”

Stiles’ face lit up in recognition and he opened his mouth to say something, but the cashier coughed pointedly, before asking for the next in line in that characteristic voice of someone working far too long with the public.

“Oh, sorry,” Derek apologized, ignoring the angry murmurs behind him in the line. He waited for a moment to see if anyone would give him shit for talking to Stilinski, but no one did, “I’ll have a bacon with mushrooms.” He turned to Stilinski and his kid, who was hiding her face on her father’s neck, “What about you?”

“Uh, I can wait for my turn...”

“Nonsense, we can order together. It isn’t a problem.”

Stilinski looked uncertain about it for a moment, but Leigh whined against his shoulder, sounding irritated, and Stilinski caved in.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll have a meat lovers, thanks.”

He moved, huffing a bit about his child’s weight, while trying to dig around his pocket for what Derek was sure his wallet, but Derek just handed the cashier his card and let them charge both pizzas. Stilinski looked both surprised and mildly offended and Derek thought that maybe he should have asked before rushing to pay for someone else’s order.

“I’m sorry, I just thought this would be faster,” Derek amended, flushing scarlet as Stilinski stared at him.

Stilinski seemed to consider that for a moment, before nodding and hiking Leigh higher on his hip. Derek took the receipt and walked to the side to wait for his order.

“I can pay you back for it,” Stiles’ said, in a hard tone, and Derek just nodded agreeably. Somehow he felt like he had struck a nerve without meaning to by paying for Stilinski’s order. “Just let me put Leigh down and I’ll get my wallet.”

Putting Leigh down proved to be a little bit harder than what Stilinski first imagined because his child was clinging to him like an octopus and refusing to let go. Derek just smiled, amused and endeared by the situation.

“Why don’t you sit down? I can bring your pizza to you.”

“I can do it myself,” Stilinski insisted, looking slightly annoyed, and Derek wondered why he seemed so resistant to offered help.

“I know you can. But our order will come basically together, and anyway, I think we can both sit down. They’ll call us when it’s ready.”

Stilinski nodded slowly, before they both walked to a nearby table. Stilinski had to maneuver Leigh so he could sit down while having his arms full of child and Derek just watched as he did. The guy looked exhausted, like he could barely haul his weight around.

“So,” Stilinski said, after a moment, “Uh, sorry for the trouble.”

Derek shook his head, smiling, “It was no problem, really. I don’t think we’ve ever properly met, have we?

Stilinski startled, letting out a nervous laugh.

“Oh, damn, my manners. What an example I’m setting, am I right? I’m Stiles Stilinski, but call me Stiles, please,” Stilinski extended his hand for Derek to shake, and Derek took it, feeling the solid grip and the long fingers around his own hand. For some reason, he blushed on the spot.

“Derek. Derek Hale. Call me just Derek,” He answered, still holding Stiles’ hand in his.

By the look on Stiles’ face, he felt much the same as what Derek was feeling, whatever that unnamed reaction was.

“And this little barnacle attached to me,” Stiles continued, letting go of Derek and flushing pink, “is Leigh.”

“ ‘M not a barnacle!” Leigh complained, finally rising her head from Stiles’ neck and eyeing Derek curiously. He smiled at her, trying his best not to look as terrifying as he was often accused of being.

“Hello, Leigh,” Derek said as friendly as he could. The girl just looked at him, and it struck Derek that she was staring at him much like Stiles had before. They had the same way of analysing people.

“You’re pretty,” the girl said, before hiding herself on her father’s shoulder, whatever she was saying muffled by Stiles’ shirt.

Stiles laughed, sounding surprised by the comment, and looking bashful. He rubbed Leigh’s back, before throwing Derek a disarming smile.

“Eh, well, with all due respect, she isn’t wrong,” Stiles quipped, tone light enough so it could easily pass as just a joke. But Derek wasn’t stupid. He could see the way Stiles’ eyes were lingering and… _Oh_.

Before he could formulate an appropriate response, Stiles was forging on.

“So, what do you do at ComTwo? I know you aren’t in my department, I would have seen you there.”

Derek shook his head, wondering if he would scare Stiles off if he told him what his job was. He decided to risk it anyway; it would be worse if Stiles found out at a later date.

“Thank God, no. Not that your job is a problem, but I am thankful I don’t have to work directly under Harris.”

Stiles smirked at that, but Derek noticed how he was refraining from making any comments about it.

“Well, guess you got lucky,” was all that Stiles commented after a moment, and Derek appreciated his clear display of discretion.

“I work in HR,” Derek offered, and Stiles looked clearly surprised at the news. Derek could see Stiles closing back up, and he didn’t know how to make him relax.

Derek thought of explaining but then their order was ready, and he insisted on grabbing Stiles’ pizza for him. He brought back both boxes and set them on the table before sitting back down.

At the sight of pizza, Leigh rose from her father’s embrace to sniff at the pizza. She tried to open the pizza box, but Stiles silently pushed her hands away, much to her chagrin.

“No, Leigh, wait until we’re home. Thanks, Derek. Here, let me pay you,” Stiles pulled out his wallet and Derek accepted the twenty dollar bill, even if he wanted nothing more than to just pay it for Stiles.

“Again, it’s no problem,” Derek said, watching Stiles stand up while balancing his child on one hip and the pizza on a hand. There was something about that man, and the image he made with that child that was doing a number on Derek’s heart, and he didn’t even know _why_.

Stiles nodded and walked out of the pizza place, leaving Derek dazed and yearning for something but he wasn’t sure what.

°°°

Stiles was mildly surprised when Derek appeared in the cafeteria during his break. He looked shy, almost unsure of himself, until Stiles waved him in to sit with him at his table.

“Hey, Derek,” Stiles said with ease. Derek looked different wearing formal clothes and glasses, and with his hair combed back. He was the image of competence.

Scorching hot as well.

“Stiles,” Derek greeted him, with a small smile. Stiles caught himself smiling back automatically and didn’t even bother fighting it. “How are you? Good, I hope?”

“Yeah. Tired because Leigh has been… Difficult, y’know? She refuses to cooperate in the mornings, and–” Stiles stopped himself from talking about it, “Ah, yeah… Anyway, it’s boring. Parenthood and… stuff”

Stiles trailed off, feeling awkward, but Derek just smiled, like Stiles babbling was endearing.

“I believe you, it must be tough. I honestly think highly of you for being able to do that on your own.”

Stiles lowered his head, trying to hide the obvious embarrassment on his face. Derek had delivered the compliment easily, without any of the horrified wonder some people displayed when they realized Stiles was a single parent, or any of the fake admiration of those who were bored by it.

Stiles couldn’t remember the last time in his life he had had someone to talk to about things like this. Granted, he still had Scott and his father, but both were all the way down in California, and Stiles avoided burdening them with the more gruesome details of child rearing and his life in general. He didn’t want them to worry. He was never one to open up all that much anyway, but it felt good talking to someone, eye to eye, even about the most inconsequential things. It had never hit Stiles how much his friendly human interactions were mostly through Skype or the phone.

So Derek taking apparent genuine interest was… It was great, actually.

“Well, it’s tiring, but you just do what you need to do,” Stiles mumbled, and God! He knew exactly what was going on. He knew it because it was like this when he first got interested in Lydia, and then when he got interested in Heather.

Oh no.

Derek just threw Stiles another winning smile, and he felt butterflies in his belly.

_Oh no._

To Stiles utmost despair and delight, sharing lunch time with Derek in the cafeteria started happening often. They would talk about nothing and everything. Derek, who had the gruffest exterior ever and a glare to kill someone, never looked at Stiles with anything but what was close to adoration. It was both disconcerting, unexpected, and amazing.

Stiles found himself talking about Leigh more and more, and Derek never seemed bored with it. Stiles knew that for people who were childless talking about kids could be pretty boring. But Derek never appeared to be anything but deeply interested in it, and it comforted Stiles to have someone to talk to. He was always careful not to talk about work stuff; he was hyper aware that Derek was his co-worker and working in the Human Resources Department.

By the end of the week, Stiles didn’t even hesitate saying yes to Derek’s offer to go get dinner together. Granted, it was a trip to grab food at the closest fast food place, a trip that extended to Stiles having to pick Leigh up at daycare and then drive back to the restaurant. Stiles realized it was… Fun. Easy to do things with Derek outside work even if Leigh was with them. Leigh didn’t open up easily, and she wasn’t warming up to Derek. Especially because Leigh _was_ with Stiles, because he wasn’t sure what he would do if Derek didn’t like his kid.

Lies, he knew exactly what he would do. Never talk to him again.

Derek soon became the highlight of his day, a much needed break from Harris’ harassment. The man was ruthless and he obviously hated Stiles. Stiles knew it was partially his fault; he was having a hard time arriving at work on time, and came late almost half of his work days. He was never late enough for Harris to actually do more than snap at him, but it was sure enough for him to keep pressuring Stiles relentlessly. It wasn’t like Stiles wanted to arrive with barely any minutes left before his shift started. But Leigh was more and more difficult to deal with, throwing tantrums every single morning before school, refusing to eat breakfast, sometimes refusing to dress herself. Stiles was waking her up about one hour before the normal time just so he could accommodate her tantrums and keep a decent arrival time at work. But that was only serving to make her even more grumpy and angry with him, and he was _tired_.

“Go out?” Stiles asked, eyes wide, as he looks at Derek. He had just left work, a depressing rainy Friday, and he was exhausted. He had barely had enough money for groceries that week, and between Leigh needing new sneakers and her cough medication, Stiles had to focus on buying things that would keep her throughout the week. Sadly, that was enough for Leigh, but not enough for Stiles.

“Yeah, we could go and eat something.”

“Well, yeah. Uh, that’s kinda what we’ve done for the last two weeks, but… Uh. You never said that.”

“That… What?”

“Go out. You never used those two words, so. Hm, am I reading too much here? Are you asking me out _asking me out_? As in a date?”

Derek looked amused for a moment, then slightly insecure, and the shift in his expression just made Stiles’ chest constrict. Oh god.

“I hoped so, but if that’s not on the table, that’s, that’s fine,” Derek said, and that was the most awkward he ever saw Derek. Derek, who seemed always mostly amused was sincerely nervous. “I just… thought,” he completed lamely.

Stiles opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it. He wanted to. He really, honestly wanted to. But Leigh was sick with a cough and sometimes a slight fever, and Stiles was a father before he was anything else. And for once, for just this once, he hated that, he _hated_ Leigh’s mother for just leaving them and being able to have a life.

“I… I would love to. Really, I would really love to,” Stiles said, throat tight. He hadn’t felt this close to crying in years. “But Leigh is sick, and I gotta be go back home and take care of her.”

Derek looked immediately concerned, even if there was a slight hint of disappointment lurking on his face. Stiles wanted nothing more than to say _yes._

“Is she okay?” Derek asked, raising a hand to touch Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles tried and failed to suppress a shiver on contact, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Stiles shook his head, giving Derek a small smile, all he could muster at the moment.

“No, it’s fine, everything is under control. I’m sorry. I’m… Sorry,” Stiles paused, working his words in his head without finding the right ones, “See you Monday.”

Stiles turned and almost fled, refusing to look back at Derek, in fear of what he would see and feel if he did.

°°°

Derek thought, at first, that Stiles turning him down meant that they had arrived at a road block, and that whatever possible relationship he had imagined was shot. As it was, Leigh being sick wasn’t a mere excuse; by Monday Stiles looked even more exhausted than ever, and after some stilted greetings and chatting, he confessed that he had spent most of his weekend cleaning puke and comforting Leigh through a nasty virus.

Still, Derek decided that the episode served as a reminder that Stiles’ life was way more complicated than what Derek could possibly imagine. Treading with care suddenly seemed a much smarter approach. They didn’t need to rush into dates or anything. There was a distinct possibility that Stiles would have a hard time finding the time to go on dates with Derek.

Derek could be happy with their lunch dates and meeting Stiles outside every so often with Leigh. Which, Derek realized two weeks down the line, as he sat in a burger joint with a very frowny Leigh, might be an excellent idea. Leigh seemed to loathe Derek for some reason, no matter how gentle or friendly he tried to be.

He could work with that, Derek thought, as Stiles carefully cleaned the mess Leigh had made with the ketchup, looking tired, but infinitely patient. Derek didn’t think he could wait, not when his stomach seemed to swoop at the small apologetic smile Stiles threw him.

°°°

“Okay, little lady, we need to have a talk,” Stiles said one evening. He had had to sneak out a little bit early from work and he only managed to because it was downtime and Harris had been away at a meeting. If not for that, he wouldn’t have made it early to Leigh’s daycare.

Leigh had stalked off to sulk in a corner as soon as they arrived home. She had a bruise on her arm from where the kid she had punched had punched her _back_. Leigh had then proceeded to bite the child until a caretaker appeared to split the fight up.

Stiles had been called to collect Leigh immediately The person on the line had been very unhappy about the whole incident, citing that Leigh had, apparently, started it with no provocation.

Stiles was _tired_. So. Tired.

“Leigh, come back here and sit down on the couch,” Stiles admonished, as he took off his shoes, and then left his phone on the coffee table. He had two unread messages from Derek, probably asking if everything was alright after Stiles messaged him about having to pick up Leigh.

Stiles hadn’t even thought twice before messaging Derek. It had been his first thought, his first _reaction_ to it.

“I don’t wanna talk,” Leigh shot back, her tone loud and petulant, and it rubbed Stiles entirely the wrong way. Leigh had always been a well-behaved child. He didn’t _understand_.

“Leigh, I am not going to ask you again. I’m counting to three, and if you’re not sitting in this couch, God help me, Leigh! You’ll be in much bigger trouble than you already are!”

“NO!” she screamed, loud and furious, “You can’t make me!”

“Leigh, sit on the couch right now or I am taking Netflix away for a whole damn month! _NOW_!”

Stiles was relieved when Leigh came back and threw herself on the couch. Her eyes were already puffy and red from all the crying before, and now there were renewed tears in her eyes. Stiles just _hated_ it.

“Okay. Good. So, what the fu– What _happened_? Why did you punch Lucas?”

Leigh huffed and puffed and cried for several minutes, sobbing pitifully every so often. Stiles refrained himself from cleaning the snot running from her nose. He wasn’t sure he could hold himself together if he moved from his spot, from his detached parental sternness. What do you do when you’re supposed to be in control and be the adult, but you’re just… lost?

Stiles didn’t know what to _do_.

“Lucas was being mean!” Leigh yelled, and Stiles bit his lip, feeling torn. Leigh looked so distressed.

Why had no one told him that parenthood was this hard? Was this what his father felt every time he had to put Stiles in his place after his misdeeds?

“Okay,” Stiles offered, kneeling down close to the couch. “What did he do?”

Leigh shuddered and sobbed for a couple of heartbeats before talking.

“We were, we were supposed to draw what we wanted. For Christmas.”

“Okay, go on, baby. I am listening.”

“I was doing it, and– and I was drawing M-mommy, and and Lucas j-just made fun of me, because he said it was stupid I didn’t have a Mommy, but I do! I just want Mommy back, that’s what I want for Christmas! And he made fun of m-me, and I punched him!

“Oh, Leigh…”

Stiles wasn’t sure what he thought Leigh would say, but for some stupid reason, he didn’t think _that_ was what Leigh was missing. And it suddenly dawned on Stiles that he had been a complete moron about the whole issue. Leigh’s aggression, her bouts of bad mood, her refusal to work with Stiles… Leigh was missing her mother. Of course she was.

“I miss my Mommy, Daddy,” Leigh amended, looking too small, and too lost. She was just six. She wasn’t supposed to look like this. She wasn’t supposed to live through this.

Stiles felt lost all at once faced with that tearful confession, even more heartbroken watching as Leigh slowly broke apart, her crying becoming more and more mournful. He didn’t think twice before scooping her into his arms and holding her tightly.

“Leigh, baby, listen to me,” Stiles pried her tiny hands from his neck, having to use a bit of strength for that. She whimpered, but let go, “I am so sorry that this is happening. I really am. I miss Mommy too, but…” Stiles struggled with his words, trying to find the right way of making himself understood.

They had had talked about Leigh’s mother‘s absence. Stiles made sure Leigh knew, because he wasn’t about to go his own dad’s route, and not _talk_ about an absent mother. Stiles knew how that felt. He had known for _years_ as his father grieved and only ever talked about Claudia when drunk. Stiles wasn’t about to do that with Leigh, no matter if she was younger than he had been, or if her mother was still alive and kicking. Her mother wasn’t there. She wouldn’t be there for a long time, probably.

“Mommy’s not coming, is she?” Leigh whispered, eyes wide. Stiles shook his head.

“Mommy is… Mommy had to go away. She’s busy with things, okay? And she can’t be here. She won’t be here. But Daddy is, Leigh, and I promise you I am not going anywhere. Okay?”

Leigh was silent for several seconds, and Stiles waited, letting her take her time to absorb what he said and work things out in her little head.

“But why didn’t Mommy take us with her? I’m gonna be good, I promise,” Leigh said, “I’ll be quiet and when she’s busy I’ll be super good! I’ll pick up my toys! I won’t punch anyone _for forever_ , Daddy! She can come back!”

Stiles pulled her in and squeezed Leigh tight, as tight as her tiny body could take without it being painful. He loved her so much. Stiles thought that he spent his entire life hearing how parental love was a force, how it was this huge, wondrous thing, but he never _understood_ it until he had a baby in his arms. His baby. Holding Leigh again like that, trying his best to soothe her tiny wounded heart… Stiles thought he couldn’t love more than this.

"I know you miss your mommy, Leigh. I miss her too, but she left and I can't bring her back. She doesn't want me to," Stiles said, and Leigh’s whimpering blew into full on crying, and he just held and rocked her.

°°°

It was snowing outside. Somehow, it was snowing outside and Derek was _angry_ about it.

It wasn’t that Derek disliked snow. He liked it, when he was at home in the comfort of his bed under his thick comforter, and with no need to _move_ for the entirety of the blizzard.

As it was, Derek was just arriving at work cold and miserable, and way too decaffeinated to deal with his job. Especially when his job included Adrian Harris leaving his office, looking as unpleasant as always.

“Hale,” Harris said as a way of a greeting, there was a pleased air to him that didn’t sit well with Derek.

“Harris,” Derek shot back, infusing just as much contempt as he could in his voice.

When Harris disappeared inside the elevator, probably away for another day of terror in his department, Derek made a stop by Boyd’s desk. He needed a second and _coffee_ before he even thought of dealing with whatever Harris wanted this early.

“Yo, boss,” Boyd said placidly, as he pushed his thermos of coffee on Derek’s direction. Blessed be the man.

“Morning, Boyd,” Derek said, pouring himself a generous cup and chugging it as fast as he could without burning his tongue, “Any idea what Harris wanted?”

“He’s laying someone off,” Boyd said, not bothering to hide his distaste for Harris, “Came here complaining about a problem employee who, apparently, missed work today. He wants him out. On December 23rd, really. Last damn day of work before break. Guy’s a jerk.”

Something churned inside Derek’s gut. He knew it was just a hunch born out of fear, but he was terribly sure of who was Harris’s problem employee. From the air of self-satisfaction Harris was exuding, Derek just knew.

“Fuck,” he muttered, and Boyd looked up, surprised at Derek’s swearing, “I know who he’s firing.”

Boyd nodded, and eyed Derek knowingly.

“Would it be that guy from Harris’s department that you’ve been having lunch with every single day?”

Derek stared at Boyd, who simply smirked and shrugged, seeming completely satisfied by Derek’s bafflement.

“Whatever,” Derek said, earning a bigger smirk for his trouble, “I need to see if Stiles is home.”

Derek pulled his phone, and was immediately greeted by a message from Stiles:

_**Im going to miss our lunch. Super sick. Leigh’s cold got me and is SUX** _

Derek swallowed thickly, feeling dread for Stiles. There was a slim chance that the employee to be fired wasn’t Stiles, but Derek doubted it.

He jogged to his office, looking at the blue folder used to store an employee’s data. Harris, to add to his assholery, liked to personally leave the folder there, instead of an email. Of course he did. For one, he could bug the hell out of Derek. For another, the guy was an obvious sadist.

Inhaling deeply, Derek flipped the folder open.

°°°

“He fired me?” Stiles asked, as Derek sat across him in his apartment. It was the first time ever Derek had came over; Stiles was postponing it for Leigh’s sake, but when he received Derek’s call, he didn’t think twice about inviting him over.

He didn’t even care enough about the fact that he was in his old, ratty Star Wars pajamas and under covers. Right at that moment, Stiles didn’t feel capable of caring about anything but the fact that he had lost his job.

“I am sorry, Stiles, I am so sorry,” Derek said, looking genuinely distressed by the entire situation. Stiles wasn’t even sure how to process what was happening.

“It was the first time I ever called in sick,” Stiles pleaded, looking lost. This wasn’t fair.

“I know, Stiles.”

“I’ve been working overtime four out of six times a week, even though I have Leigh to take care of. I have better results indicators than most of the office. I’ve literally busted my ass there, Derek! This isn’t fair!”

“I know…”

“He has belittled me since day one. He snaps at me, he’s rude, he’s fucking gross all the damn time, and I never _ever_ said anything, even if I was dying to, because I needed the job! I _need_ it!” Stiles knew he was raising his voice more and more, until he was almost screaming, but he couldn’t stop.

He had rent to pay. He had groceries, he had the power bill, internet... Jesus, he had the daycare. Granted, if he was out of a job, he could take care of Leigh most of the day, but there was job hunts. He needed to look for a new job, and it wasn’t like he could drag Leigh along. It was _Christmas,_ for God’s sake, he hadn’t even managed to buy the bare minimum for a Christmas feast, because he hadn’t had the money or the strength to drag himself to a grocery store to do it.

What was he going to _do_?

“Derek, please,” Stiles begged, and he knew he sounded pathetic. Shame burned inside him, making his stomach revolt, but all the pride he had felt when he refused to let his father help, any pride he had left at all couldn’t measure up to this. He _couldn’t_ lose his job, “Derek, please, don’t do this. You work in HR, you can– You can do something, can’t you? Please, I am begging you, I’ll work overtime every single day of the week, I’ll forego my lunch hour, I’ll do anything, but please, don’t fire me.”

“Oh no, Stiles...”

“Do you know how old I was when Leigh was born? Seventeen. Almost eighteen. It was my last year of high school. Leigh’s mother, she was my first. And then she got pregnant, and her parents kicked her out. My Dad, God, he took her in, promised her shelter, he was the best, okay? He was furious at me, but he was the best with us. And then Heather, Leigh’s mother, she decided to have the baby, because… She couldn’t deal with the idea of an abortion, and… I didn’t want it. Being a dad was so out of my plans. But I respected her choice – well, my dad made me respect it. Back then, we were… young and stupid, and… and in the end we thought, hey we can do this, right?

“I graduated, Heather didn’t. She graduated later. My Dad sent me to college, but he couldn’t afford to do the same for Heather. She waited, because when I graduated, she would maybe be able to, because we would have someone to take care of Leigh. We never… We didn’t have a relationship, properly. We were sorta together, because it was easier for both of us, but with time… She started resenting me. Us. She wanted her freedom. So four months ago, she waved her parental rights, gave me custody of Leigh, and left.”

Derek looked shocked at that, but Stiles didn’t stop. He _couldn’t_ stop.

“I need the job, Derek. I need it, because I am the _only_ person that Leigh’s has now, because she has been dragged through hell these last few months, because I love my child more than anything in the whole world, and I need to, I just need to.”

Stiles didn’t give Derek time to say no, to refuse. Panic was creeping up on Stiles, filling him in with nothing but a cold certainty that he would lose Leigh. Maybe he could swallow up his pride and ask his father for tickets back to Beacon Hills, but his Father didn’t even know Heather had left. Stiles… never got around to telling him.

“Derek. Derek, I am _begging_ , okay, listen if I lose this job I’ll have no income. I’ll lose this apartment, I won’t be able to take care of Leigh, they’ll take her away from me! I can’t– This can’t happen, please, I’ll do anything. Just... please.”

Derek stopped Stiles talking by pulling him into a tight hug. Stiles felt like he was crumbling into pieces. Life was _hard_. He never thought that life would be like this, barely able to pay for expenses, with a young child completely dependent on him, with a failed marriage at his age.

“I haven’t processed your dismissal yet,” Derek rushed to say, leaning over to hold Stiles’ hand between his, “I told Boyd to stall with it – and Harris has no power over my department. We’re only going back to work now on January 5th, which gives me time to work on something. It’ll also make this break paid for you, if…”

“If you don’t manage to hold my job,” Stiles completed, stifling a sob. He hated himself for crying in front of Derek, but from as far as he was down the hole, what was it even?

“Stiles… Don’t say that....”

“No, Derek you–” Stiles took a deep breath, closed his eyes. The last thing he needed was to lose his control. He had a child. He had a child who needed him to stay calm, “Thank you. For telling me beforehand. I’m… It’s okay, I’m going to manage.”

“Stiles…”

“No, Derek, it’s okay. I… I understand that you’re the bearer of bad news, but it isn’t your fault. I… I get it. It’s just… Leigh is my everything.”

“Stiles…”

Stiles felt himself collapsing under the weight of his own feelings, he needed to alleviate the pressure. He needed to take the lid off of all his feelings, everything he had suppressed ever since his life started falling on his head.

“If things go too badly… I won’t be able to financially support Leigh. Do you know how much money a kid costs? A lot. And I am not complaining, I love her, I would do anything for her but… Derek, I never even told my father that Leigh’s mother walked away. I couldn’t tell him, because the moment I did he would want me to go back and move in with him, and what with all the sacrifices I’ve done to– to graduate, to move here, all alone, I’m…Sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just so–”

“Stiles, it’s okay, it’s gonna be okay. I’ll do whatever is in my power to help you, I promise. You don’t have to beg me, because I will. Please… Please, don’t cry,” Derek said, earnest and so very kind, wiping Stiles’ tears with his thumb with such tenderness and Stiles…

Stiles really, truly _loved_ Derek.

Not pausing to think about it, Stiles leaned forward and kissed Derek, lips and eyes closed, but heart so open. He was terrified of what would be of his life, he was _exhausted_ of dealing with everything, but Derek was the one good thing, beside Leigh, and Stiles couldn’t even remember the last time he felt like this in his life. Heather had never made Stiles feel safe, or cherished, and their relationship had been on the side of forced partnership for way too long.

But Derek was there, caring and willing, and so very lovely, and Stiles couldn’t help himself loving Derek.

Derek pulled back looking dazed, and smiled softly at Stiles. Stiles wondered what he looked like in Derek’s eyes, nose red, all teary eyed, but Derek just stared at him adoringly, and Stiles just felt his heart doing somersaults inside his chest.

“Sorry,” Stiles muttered, hiding his face on Derek’s neck, “Sorry, I just– You just–”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now.”

Stiles laughed, and it sounded watery

“A while, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Derek held him like he was precious, and Stiles melted on his embrace, “It’s going to be fine, Stiles. We’re going to figure out. Together, if… If you want.”

Stiles sighed softly, and Derek rubbed his back, kissing his head lovingly, and for a brief moment, Stiles felt so very safe.

“Together…? Yeah, I’d… I’d like that.”

°°°

Derek tapped his pen against this computer as he waited for the call to connect. He was exhausted after coming back from Stiles’s, feeling his own emotions all over the place after what happened. He went from angry to devastated to hopeful to loving in a span of few moments.

Leaving Stiles had been hard, but he had seemed better, and Derek had something to do. Something he had postponed for way too long, and now he had to do.

The call connected, and Derek automatically sat straighter, even if the person he was talking too couldn’t see him.

“Hello, Derek.”

Derek cleaned his throat, feeling very much like the child he had been when he met Satomi Ito for the first time.

“Mrs. Ito, how are you?” Derek asked, knowing he was stalling.

Satomi Ito was a tiny woman, in the height of her 80’s, with a mind of steel and a determination that actually scared Derek. And Derek wasn’t scared of many people in this life. He had had Talia Hale as a mother, for Christ's sake.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking, Derek. But I am sure my wellbeing isn’t the reason why you called me.”

Derek took a breath, thinking. He could do this. He had to do this.

“Mrs. Ito–”

“Call me Satomi, Derek. And go straight to the point, yes?”

“I have reason to request the termination of Adrian Harris.”

Satomi hummed on the phone, and Derek waited, but the seconds just stretched, like Satomi wasn’t going to say anything at all. Derek felt his hands getting clammy.

“In the past six months, Adrian Harris was responsible for 85% of the terminations that went through my department. That amounts to more than forty employees, between resignations and dismissals. It’s way too high a number.”

“Well, if I remember correctly, Adrian was always strict with his personnel,” Satomi replied, in an entirely neutral tone. Too neutral. He was losing this.

“We had several complaints about Harris’ behavior as a boss. He abuses his power, he harasses his subordinates. I have several official complaints turned in by ex-employees, who were, I might add, fired by Harris after handing in said complaints.”

Satomi hummed again, and Derek winced, racking his brain for good, strong arguments. He had papers, he had a case, but it didn’t mean that Satomi _had_ to fire Harris.

In fact, what Derek was doing was even questionable and could cost _him_ his job.

“Satomi, Harris is known for harassing his employees. He decides he doesn’t like someone and pushes them until they either crack, or he loses interest, so he fires them. This isn’t about competence; he’s laid off several brilliant staff members. There are several reports on this, and I am sure that if we were to ask the employees and ex-employees about it, we would get very similar reports about Harris’s behavior. Up until now, we’ve been lucky that he hasn’t pushed it far enough to get us a lawsuit, but Harris is a ticking bomb. And more than that, he is costing us money. All these terminations, they cost us money finding people to fill in the gaps, they cost us money when we have to retrain employees, he–”

“I know that, Derek,” Satomi interrupted, “I know all that you’re telling me.”

Derek stopped, speechless, “Uh, you…?”

“No one does anything in my company without me knowing, Derek. No one. Everything that happens behind those doors, I hear about sooner or later,” Derek nodded, even though Satomi couldn’t see him. He sat up straighter, clutching the phone tighter in his hands, “Now, what I want to know is why you are calling me on December 23rd to talk over things about Adrian Harris that have been happening for a long time now.”

Taking a moment to figure out what to say next, Derek pulled out his cellphone, unlocking it. Stiles had sent him a message, thanking him once again for the support not long after he left the apartment. If Satomi knew everything…

“Harris wants to lay off this one employee. And… As you might already know, that one is personal. I might be standing up now, in a hurry, because of that. But I am tired of dealing with Harris’ brand of egocentrism and pettiness. That man is unprofessional. He once fired a woman for being _too_ competent. He feels threatened by his own team when they are too good. He has no patience with the apprentices. He mistreats interns to the point where Erica has had to deal with more than one of them having a nervous breakdown in the bathroom. This shouldn't be like this. And now he’s trying to fire a twenty-four year old Literature major, with a six year old daughter, just because I refused to let the guy go on his first day. I am asking for Harris’ termination not only because it’s personal, but it’s the right thing to do.”

Satomi hummed again, the sound going and going, until Derek was curled on his chair, almost praying that she would give him what he wanted.

“Adrian Harris was going to be laid off as soon as the holiday break was over. I was going to send the information to you today, so you could process it first thing after break.”

“What?”

“Derek, we _have_ a lawsuit in our hands. Sexual harassment. Someone came forward, accusing Harris of sexually harassing them. They have a witness as well. Harris is out of the job. He’ll be informed of it by the end of the day, and any terminations he made today are void.”

“What?”

“Oh please, boy, you’re more eloquent than that.”

“Sorry. You mean that he’s out?”

“And you can inform your boyfriend that he has his job still. Now, Derek, I expect to hear from you on Christmas day. Also, tell your sister I expect all of you for a lunch before the year ends. It’s been far too long since I last saw her.”

“Ah… Yes, yes, Satomi. Absolutely.”

“Good. Merry Christmas, Derek.”

°°°

“Do you think she liked it?”

“Derek, she hasn’t let go of that damn 3DS ever since it came out of the box. I haven’t had the chance to play Pokemon yet because she sleeps with it.”

“Okay, that’s good. Right?”

Stiles smiled at Derek, endeared at the way he was watching Leigh play with her Christmas gift. He had been genuinely scared that Leigh might not like his present, but Stiles knew she did.

It was New Year’s Eve, and they were all sitting on Stiles’ living room, just enjoying each other’s company.

Leigh was still warming up to Derek, even if Stiles guessed that getting a damn 3DS had made a huge impact on her judgement. Stiles had tried to make Derek take it back – it was an expensive gift, after all – but Derek had made a compelling case for why Stiles should let it go. It involved some words, as well as some great make out sessions.

Even if they were both sticking to taking things slow, it didn’t mean they couldn’t have some fun.

Still, they had to work around Leigh’s resistance to Derek. Stiles suspected it was less about Derek himself, and more about it being another change. Leigh had lived through too many of those in a short span of time. It made sense that she was so wary of someone new getting into their lives.

Probably even more scared of someone new _leaving_.

“So, did you pack your bags?” Derek asked, rubbing Stiles’ feet. He moaned at how good it felt, though he cut it off, suddenly reminded that his child was way too close for sonorous displays like that.

“Yeah, we’re all packed. I don’t need that much; it’s mostly Leigh’s stuff. You wouldn’t believe the amount of cr– Things a child requires even for few days.

Derek nodded, amused. As soon as he’d told Stiles that Harris was out of the way and unable to fire him, Stiles had called his father and told him the things that had happened in the last couple of months. It had been a difficult talk to have, one full of tears and screaming (mostly on Stiles’s Dad’s side), but in the end of the conversation, they had agreed on Stiles making a trip to Beacon Hills to visit. It would just be a few days, since Stiles had to be back at work by the 5th of January, but it was enough.

“How are you going to get home from the airport? Are you going to catch a cab, or…?”

Stiles shook his head.

“Nah. Dad is going to pick us up at the airport,” Stiles moved on the couch. They were barely touching, only Stiles’s feet on Derek’s lap, but then Stiles decided that he could maybe do a little bit of more touching. If things with Derek kept going this well, mild displays of affection should be expected. Even if both Derek and Stiles were keeping kisses and other things hidden from Leigh’s eyes, for now. “I’m going to miss you.”

“It’s just a week,” Derek laughed, pulling Stiles close enough so he could give him a kiss on the cheek, “But I’m going to miss you too.”

“Do you think that when we’re back… We could, you know, go on dates?”

“Why, sir, was yesterday not a date?”

“No, it was. The restaurant is great, I loved it but… I was thinking on a real date. Just the two of us.”

“What about Leigh? Who’s going to watch her?”

“My best friend and Leigh’s godfather, Scott. He’s coming to visit. He said he doesn’t mind babysitter duty,” Stiles stole a glance at his kid, who was still lying belly down on the floor, nose glued on Nintendogs, and got close enough to whisper at Derek’s ear, “All night long.”

Derek blinked several times, mouth slightly open and his bunny teeth peeking out. Stiles thought he looked adorable like this.

“Oh. _Oh_. Yeah,” Derek stuttered, “Sure. Yeah, ah, yeah. Okay.”

“Derek, you’re blushing, you pervert,” Stiles snickered, and Derek shoved him playfully.

“Hey, can you blame me? My gorgeous boyfriend asked me on a date.”

Stiles stole a kiss, taking advantage of Leigh’s obvious distraction. If the kiss went on for a bit longer than entirely proper, well. She wasn’t looking.

“Hell yeah, he did.”

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the **Sterek Secret Santa 2015**. I got ticklethetree @tumblr.
> 
>  
> 
> I had a 3K limit, and I... Sort... Busted it. By, like, a lot. Oops.
> 
>  
> 
> Title is a line from Hamilton's Wait For It. I really love this song.
> 
>  
> 
> [Come say hi!](http://bistiles.tumblr.com)


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